Canada's oldest Second World War fighter ace, Wing Commander James Francis “Stocky” Edwards, died only a month shy of his 101st birthday..To use a Second World War idiom, Stocky has "gone west.".Edwards was a mere 19-year-old when he signed up with the Royal Canadian Air Force in 1940..By the war's end, he had had 19 confirmed kills, mostly over North Africa. Edwards had achieved legendary status for his in-flight prowess rising to the rank of wing commander, according to one RCAF biography.."Flying a P-40 Kittyhawk, he flew 373 operational sorties and was never shot down himself," said National Defence spokesperson Yvette Mills in a statement to CTV News.."There is some discrepancy over the number of confirmed kills, however it is a greater testimony to Stocky’s character and memory to mention he did not like to discuss this number as a matter of professionalism," Mills added..The Curtiss P-40 was the workhorse of the Allied air forces in the middle years of the Second World War. Squadrons like the 99th Fighter Squadron — the famous Tuskegee originals — flew combat missions over the beaches. They escorted bombers of the Tactical and Strategic Air Forces on missions around the south of Italy..The British code-named these variants the Kittyhawk. They saw substantial deployment with the Desert Air Force as both fighters and fighter-bombers..By the middle of the war, the Desert Air Force augmented fighter airplane stock with the legendary Supermarine Spitfires, which relegated Kittyhawks to the fighter-bomber role.. 'Stocky' EdwardsJames “Stocky” Edwards .“We’d hardly ever seen an airplane, but all we wanted to be was fighter pilots,” Edwards told Global News in a 2019 interview. “We didn’t think about going to war, but we wanted to go where the war was.”.“While his passing must be mourned, his life must be celebrated as the gift it was,” the Comox Air Force Museum said on Facebook..“An officer and a gentleman in every sense of the word, Stocky lived a life of purpose, integrity, honour and courage. A modest hero, his legacy will be the example he set of service before self,” the post said..“Blue Skies, Wing Commander,” the Juno Beach Centre said about Edwards..The RCAF Foundation tweeted it was "saddened" to learn of the pilot's death, offering its condolences to Edwards' family..Comox, BC, Mayor Russ Arnott shared in a Facebook post Edwards passed away Saturday night..“Stocky’s intelligence, warmth and energy continued to amaze us,” Arnott said..Born in Saskatchewan, the pilot served in the Air Force for 32 years in various domestic and international posts before settling in Comox..Edwards was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 2004 and a Knight of the French Legion of Honour in 2014..In recent years, Edwards devoted his time to conservation projects, including protecting wetlands with Ducks Unlimited.
